Whitworth's new executive-in-residence Brian "Duff" Bergquist, an industry expert in global equity trading, will present "From Narvik to Spokane, with a Stop in Vegas, Aboard the Financial Crisis Express," on Thursday, April 14, at 7:30 p.m. in the Robinson Teaching Theatre in Weyerhaeuser Hall at Whitworth University. Admission is free. The presentation will be the fourth lecture in Whitworth's 54th annual Great Decisions Lecture Series, which features five speakers who focus on current political, cultural and economic subjects of interest to the international community. For more information, call 777-3270.
Bergquist, who was named Whitworth's executive-in-residence last fall, brings 15 years of management experience with the world's top financial institutions. He has spent most of his career working in investment banking in Europe, primarily in Germany and England, while at Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse-First Boston, Morgan Stanley, and Lehman Brothers. He studied finance and German at Wirtschafts University, in Vienna, earned a bachelor's degree in marketing and German from Pacific University, in Forest Grove, Ore., and a master's degree in international management with an emphasis in international finance and accounting from the American Graduate School of International Business, in Glendale, Ariz.

"We wanted Duff Bergquist to present a Great Decisions lecture because as an economist, he can shed light on an issue that has profoundly shaped global affairs for the past two years," says Patrick Van Inwegen, an associate professor of political science at Whitworth. "He was working in the center of the finance industry in Europe as the global financial crisis unfolded and thus had a front-row seat to the decisions that were made by the key players in the world's largest banking and finance institutions. Furthermore, now that he isn't working at those institutions, he's able to pull back and reflect on why things developed the way they did as well as the likely implications as countries begin to recover."

As an executive-in-residence, Bergquist works to strengthen Whitworth's connections with local business leaders and to provide students with practical insight into emerging business trends and practices. In that role, he acts as the School of Global Commerce & Management's ambassador to the regional business community, teaches classes, brings professionals on campus for guest lectures, and helps shape curriculum to reflect the ever-changing demands of the global economy.

In addition to the April 14 lecture, the final Great Decisions lecture will take place on May 5. The lecture will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be held in Weyerhaeuser Hall's Robinson Teaching Theatre. For information on upcoming lectures, please call (509) 777-3270. Great Decisions 2011 is sponsored by the Whitworth Political Science Department.

Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The university, which has an enrollment of nearly 3,000 students, offers 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.